Law School Receives $3.7 Million to Support Environmental Law

This fall, Lewis & Clark Law School received a charitable bequest totaling $3.7 million to support public interest environmental law.

The bequest, from Washington environmental activist John E. Diehl, is the second-largest single gift ever made to the law school.

The bequest supports fellowships and scholarships within the environmental law program, ranked No. 1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The Diehl Fellowship stipends will supplement the income of recent graduates who are employed at public interest environmental organizations for one year. Preference will be given to those whose work is dedicated to resource conservation, wilderness and wildlife habitat and preservation, or human population stabilization. In addition, the law school will match the bequest for Diehl Scholarships to support incoming first-year students who have a stated interest in practicing public interest environmental law.

“While I did not have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Diehl personally, he knew of our outstanding work in the environmental law field,” says Jennifer Johnson, dean of the law school. “His legacy will live on in generations of environmental attorneys and is a testament to the power of one person’s commitment to make a difference.”